Hager to engineer intelligent homes in Kolkata

The futuristic residential project Dream One by Jain Group has integrated home automation at the design stage, roping in Europe's leading home automation firm Hager to customize a suite of offerings in the 229 flats and 12 duplex apartmentsSubhro Niyogi | TNN | November 18, 2015, 15:30 IST

KOLKATA: Luxury homes are passe. Get ready for future ready homes. A city developer has tied up with a leading home automation firm to build intelligent apartments that can communicate with its owners. Several other builders are in advanced level of talks with similar technology providers.

The futuristic residential project Dream One by Jain Group has integrated home automation at the design stage, roping in Europe's leading home automation firm Hager to customize a suite of offerings in the 229 flats and 12 duplex apartments. These include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems like gas leakage and fire alert.

"Customers are experiencing smart living when they travel abroad and live in service apartments. They too aspire to access similar technologies here to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security. We brought in Hager to design a system that is intelligent yet robust to work seamlessly in Indian environment," Jain Group vice-chairman Shrayans Jain said. Hager has implemented projects in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi.

While a suite of home auto products are available off-the-shelf in packages that range between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh for retro fitment in homes and apartments, Dream One is the first to integrate home automation in the project and offer them as standard feature in all apartments, similar to what Volkswagen did when it made airbags a standard feature in its cars. Benoit Lecuyer, managing director of Hager India, believes customer demand will drive home automation into all major real estate projects in Kolkata and other Indian cities. "The first thing that strikes you on landing in India is that the average urban Indian is techno savvy. Even a first time phone user in India adapts quickly to smart devices. Once they experience home automation products, it will fuel demand," said Lecuyer.

Apart from remote control access to lights, air-conditioning, blinds, television, security systems and other gadgets, the home owner will have access to a panic button in his phone or tablet to alert key persons in the complex if the house is under threat.

"If a gas leakage or fire alarm flashes on the smart device while the owner is in office or on vacation elsewhere, the person can see the problem through IP cameras and then hit the panic button that will alert people in the complex who can rush to the person's home and take action," explained Jain Group executive director Rishi Jain.

"Intelligent homes are already a reality in Bengaluru, driven by demands from employees in the IT sector. In Kolkata too, there is a demand for enhanced security and convenience features, particularly in Salt Lake and New Town-Rajarhat," said Merlin Projects managing director and president of the Bengal chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India (Credai).

With additional investment pegged at only Rs 2-3 per sq ft, home automation is accessible to all. The system can be customized to individual needs and budgets. If there is a concern, it is about the system's robustness to function 24x7 without a hitch. It will be hugely inconvenient if a software glitch or network issue affected the functioning of the home.

"The cost will depend on client's needs. It could start from 3-4% for an apartment priced Rs 1 crore and increase as additional features are added," explained Suvankar Das, manager of home automation systems firm Hager.

While the cost of basic automation could work out to be Rs 3.5 lakh that includes lighting and security for a three-bedroom house, it can be slashed by selecting fewer features.